through the looking glass
by ohwhatsherface
Summary: Road to Ninja AU. And finally, Sakura understands what's going on. "You're just an illusion," she tells him. "You're not real."
1. sakura

**Warnings:** Road to Ninja AU. Weird!Sasuke. Angst?**  
Note:** I JUST REALLY WANT TO SEE THIS MOVIE. If SasuSaku actually "happens" in it, Tobi will officially become some sort of OTP shipper in my head. I mean it's _his_ illusion! HE MADE THE OTP HAPPEN. I think. We'll see.  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

* * *

"You're just an illusion. You're not real."

Sasuke tilts his head ever so slightly. He looks so serious, so much like the boy he isn't, and it hurts her to look at him. He doesn't question her or think she's crazy because he calls her _Sakura-chan_ here and hangs on her every word. He wants nothing more than to make her happy and it terribly disturbs her. Then he smiles in that typical fashion that is apparently his but she has yet to get accustomed to. He reaches out to touch her cheek and she flinches. He notices but doesn't care. _Her_ Sasuke would have taken offence. This Sasuke thinks it's "cute" when she acts "shy."

"You're so insistent that you're in a genjutsu," Sasuke says. His voice is smooth and velvety and Sakura stiffens further beneath his touch. "I've told you countless times that you're the only girl for me, Sakura-chan."

She can't take it anymore. "Stop that!" she hisses, slapping his hand away. She takes a step back and glares him, watching him through calculating eyes. "You're not real!"

And she's sure of it.

This world is utterly unfamiliar to her and she knows she damn well doesn't belong. The playful Sasuke, the calm Tsunade, the solemn Kakashi – none of these people are real. She knows it. It wasn't until two days after she woke up from her "coma" after a mission that had apparently gone badly that she realized how _wrong_ everything was. Why was Sasuke playing with her hair? Why was Hinata blatantly glaring at her? Why was Ino acting so damn shy? The only person who seems _normal _was Naruto and now she knows why.

They're in a genjutsu.

And, despite remembering who caused it, why they did, and the circumstances that led up to the situation, and doing every possible genjutsu-breaking technique she knows, Sakura can't break free.

"You're not real," she repeats, but that's mostly for herself.

"Sure I am, Sakura-chan." He speaks so calmly and happily that it almost sickens her.

"No." She shakes her head because he isn't. Maybe if she unsettles him, the genjutsu will start to fall apart. "You're not Sasuke."

"I _am_ Sasuke," he says. He cups her cheek and tilts her face up. "Don't I look like Sasuke?"

When she doesn't reply, he smirks. She can only scowl at him. "You don't_ act_ like Sasuke," she mumbles. "You're too _nice_. You talk to me and you compliment me and you act like you actually _like_ me." She ignores the look of surprise on his face and shakes her head. "You can't be Sasuke. This world isn't right. Everything is opposite."

Her world has been flipped.

She talks mostly to herself but Sasuke can hear her mumbles. "Naruto's parents are alive. My parents not only _want_ me to be a kunoichi, but they want me to be _stronger_. Your clan wasn't massacred. Ino is shy. Kiba likes cats. Hinata is confident. Tenten is an utter klutz. Shikamaru is an idiot. And you _love_ me—"

Then it occurs to her.

Everything is _opposite_.

She can't help the tears that well up in her eyes, because despite the stoic power-oriented bitch she apparently is in this world, she's _Sakura_ now and she doesn't care if she wears her heart on her sleeve. She glances at Sasuke and can tell he's come to the same conclusion she has.

"I—"

"He doesn't hate you," Sasuke interrupts. He smiles at Sakura reassuringly and something twists in her gut. "Whoever you think I am or I'm not. That guy in your head – he doesn't hate you."

"You're wrong." Sakura chuckles, but there is no joy in her laughter. "He tried to kill me." She misses the way his eyes widen and his jaw clenches at her claim. "He hates me. It makes sense." She smiles at him bitterly. "Why else would you be so affectionate here, _Sasuke-kun_?"

The title makes him uncomfortable and Sakura can't help but take some pleasure in seeing someone who at least looks like Sasuke cringe a little.

Satisfied that he has nothing left to say, Sakura pulls away and attempts to leave. She's a few feet away when he speaks.

"Maybe you're right. Maybe I'm not real and maybe this _is_ a world of opposites," he offers, "but why does that have to mean this other me hates you?" She turns around to see him smiling hopefully. "Why can't it just mean that while I have no problem accepting that I'm in love with you and want to be with you, he feels the same way but is taking a different approach? Maybe he's just utterly terrified of the prospect of feelings and doesn't want to do anything."

"That's stupid." Sakura frowns at how pathetic her answer is. Her expression darkens when he merely laughs at her.

"Not _everything_ has to be the opposite. It can just be some aspects, Sakura-chan. Why can't this other version you have of me love you too?"

"Because he's _real_!" Sakura only realizes that she shouted when she notices any traces of amusement completely gone from his face. "He's _real_. _You_ are not and there's damn well no way that he could _love_ me—"

Then he kisses her.

She resists and tries to push him away but for the first time since she's woken up to this face that's taken on the name of her old teammate, _Sasuke_ takes charge and doesn't bow to her whim. He wraps his arms around her and is satisfied with just holding her when she refuses to kiss him. She struggles at first, refusing to be in the arms of some _stranger_ but gives up because maybe she's in shock and she's crying a little and despite how awful "home" is right now, that's where she wants to be. She doesn't know how to handle this so-called Sasuke whose hands on her aren't choking her, whose eyes on her tell her she's a goddess on a pedestal, not some annoying girl with no understanding of personal space, whose laughter is sweet and playful, not crazed and maniacal—

Sakura's in a world where absolutely nothing is how it should be and she can't get out, but part of her wonders if she really wants to get out at all.

* * *

_fin_

* * *

**NO, THIS IS NOT SOME RESPONSE TO ALL "WELL IF SASUSAKU HAPPENS IN THE MOVIE THAT MEANS THEY'LL NEVER HAPPEN IN THE MANGA SO NARUSAKU/SASUNARU/WHATEVER IS CANON" CLAIMS. NOT AT ALL. NOPE.**


	2. sasuke

**Warning:** Spoilers for that new _Road to Ninja_ trailer. Sort of.  
**Note:** My heart breaks every time I see an image of Sasuke handing Sakura the rose being juxtaposed with one of him reaching out to choke her.  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own _Naruto_.

* * *

While the truth is that he thinks her genjutsu theory is crazy and that she hurt herself on that mission more than she'll let on, he does agrees that she's been a little different lately. Nowadays Sasuke can get an actual rise out of her. Just weeks ago, any attempt to be close to her was shot down or met with a cool stare. Now, however, she gasps and she smiles and she blushes or she'll snap at him and yell and punch him none too gently.

Now she _reacts_ and Sasuke's not sure how he feels about that because this bundle of emotion with Sakura's hair and with Sakura's eyes and with Sakura's voice is hardly _Sakura_.

But maybe she's just damaged.

This is why Sasuke plucks a rose from his mother's garden in an afterthought and rushes to Sakura's house when the sun has barely risen. Mikoto will probably be furious with him since the truth is he's done this too many times to count, but this time the rose is for Sakura – poor, damaged, confused Sakura. Sakura who he's been in love with for years, Sakura who has never let him in until recently, Sakura who actually allowed him hold her the other night when she thought she was losing her mind.

She's always been an early riser so Sasuke has no doubt that she's awake. He looks up at her room on the second floor and can see the lights on. Taking that as a sign that she's awake, Sasuke jumps onto the balcony and is greeted by the sight of Sakura in her underwear.

"Sasuke?"

He immediately dodges when she throws something at him and turns around partly to preserve her modesty, but mostly to contain his embarrassment. He hears her shuffle around the room and the balcony door open wider.

"You can turn around now, idiot."

He does so and can't help but flush under her wry expression. She tightens her robe and Sasuke feels even worse. "Sorry about that," he mumbles, hands clenched at his sides in shame. A small stab from the rose reminds him of why he went there in the first place and he moves to hand it to her. He doesn't miss the way she flinches, however, when he reaches out to her. He frowns at her behaviour. "Sakura-chan?"

His voice seems to draw her out of whatever dark thoughts are whizzing through her head. "Sorry." She finally notices the rose and her eyes widen ever so slightly. He smiles faintly at the pink creeping onto her cheeks. "What's this?"

"A rose," Sasuke says with a small laugh. "It's for you."

Reluctantly, she takes the flower from him. She twirls it around in her fingers and mindlessly picks off the thorns. "What's it for?" she asks, raising an eyebrow at him.

Sasuke's smile softens. "Can't I just give you a flower, Sakura-chan?" She still looks suspicious so he shrugs. "I thought you could use something to brighten your mood."

Her eyes are drawn to the rose, however. She looks contemplative as she runs one finger up and down the stem until she finally cuts herself. She stares at the dot of blood pooling at the tip of her finger before the digit glows green and the wound closes. She wipes the blood on her robe and Sasuke frowns at the red smear staining the white cloth. He sees the way her expression is darkening and wonders if she's thinking about that other Sasuke she has in her head. Did he ever give her flowers? Judging by the thin line her lips have fallen into, he probably didn't.

"I'll always be your ally, Sakura-chan." The words come out confidently and he can't help but smile at the blush that's remained on her cheeks. "I don't care what messed up alternate reality we're in – you will _always_ matter to me. You'll always be one of my precious people."

She stiffens at his words but nods, accepting his sentiments. They stand there silently before Sakura finally lets out a sigh. She brings the rose up to her nose and inhales the fragrant aroma.

"Is this from your mother's garden?" she asks, smiling softly.

Sasuke smirks. "Maybe."

She only shakes her head. "Well I hope you don't get into any trouble for taking this."

"If that rose made you smile, then any trouble is worth it." She looks away to try hiding her embarrassment and Sasuke's grin only widens. "Well… I'll see you later, Sakura-chan."

He jumps off the railing of her balcony and lands on the road with a small thud. Before he can make his way back to the Uchiha District, he hears her call his name. He turns around and sees her leaning languidly over the balcony, the rose dangling from her hand.

"Thank you, Sasuke," she says loudly, not at all caring about the people who may still be asleep. "For everything."

He smiles and waves before walking away.


End file.
